


Sacrifices are overrated

by Moon_for_moon



Series: Coldflash Week 2019 [4]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Cffall19, ColdFlash Week 2019, Cults, Day six: Horror, Human Sacrifice, Kidnapping, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-29 14:00:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20797760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moon_for_moon/pseuds/Moon_for_moon
Summary: When Barry finds out his boyfriend has been kidnapped by some crazy cult hoping for him to share his powers with him, he goes to rescue him.





	Sacrifices are overrated

**Author's Note:**

> Coldflash Week 2019, Day 6, Horror

"What do you mean your brother's been kidnapped by a crazy cult?!" Barry exclaimed, his hands flying up in frustration. 

Lisa stood defiantly, hands on her hips, annoyed as ever. "I was informed two hours ago. I'm not too happy either." 

Barry groaned and fell back in his desk chair, rolling it back through the cortex of Star Labs. His boyfriend was kidnapped, gone, missing, just like that. 

"Look, you gotta help me. The lady at my apartment kept repeating "The Lightning's power will come and his soldiers will be rewarded." I figured you were the closest thing to lightning." 

"Did she say anything else?" 

Lisa shook her head. "She was probably tripping on something. I'm guessing whoever sent her pumped her up with drugs."

Barry had known something was wrong when Len hadn't come home the previous night. He had just figured he was out planning another heist. 

"Where's the lady now?" 

"In my bathroom. She tried to make a run for it after throwing a pan at me. I wasn't thrilled." 

Barry sighed. "Hang on to me. I'll get us there." And within a second they were back at Lisa's apartment. When the speedster opened the bathroom door he was expecting the wrath of a thousand angry birds to come flying out and attack him, not a calm and collected woman, kneeling on the floor. 

"He has come.." she whispered, keeping her eyes down. "Master Turin will he pleased."

Barry threw a confused look back at Lisa. "Alright.. okay, mam? Can you tell me your name?" He slowly approached and crouched down beside her. "Mam?" He reached out cautiously but just as he was about to touch her shoulder, her entire body suddenly jerked up and her hand closed around his wrist, yanking him forward. 

Lisa yelped in surprise and Barry forced his startlement back as the woman stared directly into his eyes with glazed over orbits. 

"The chosen one's beloved will be claimed by the God of Speed. Your presence is requested to accompany him to the other side and release the world of evil." 

Lisa snapped. Without warning she kicked her foot into the woman's chest and sent her sprawling back. "Where's my brother, you freak!" 

"Lisa!" Barry shouted, crawling over to the woman to make sure she was alright. 

"Your presence is needed by master Turin. The ceremony shall commence at sunset. The sacrifice will be rejected by the God of Speed if you are not by master Turin's side as it happens. Do not anger the God.." she whispered, unfazed by Lisa's aggression. 

"Sacrifice?" Barry mumbled. "I, what? What! What are you talking about?" 

"You must follow me." She continued. "I will lead you to Master Turin." 

Barry took a deep breath, calmed himself, then looked back at the woman with a friendly smile. "Is Len with Master Turin?" 

She nodded. "We must hurry. Master Turin can not wait forever." 

Barry gently tapped her shoulder and looked back at Lisa. "Call Joe, I'm going with her." 

Lisa seemed torn, unsure wether or not she should let the speedster leave. Eventually, she nodded. "Bring Lenny back, okay?" 

Barry gave her a comforting smile and helped the woman up. "Alright, lady. Where's this Master Turin?"

Well that was.. creepy.

If the abandoned old building in a bad neighborhood wasn't enough, walking down to the basement certainly did it for Barry. He shivered under his mask as they walked through empty rooms with worn out greenish wallpaper and headed for a giant metal door. 

The lady knocked on it twice, stopped for a second, then knocked three more times. The door opened with a creak and another person stood in front of them. Barry couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, as their face was hidden behind a strange red mask resembling his own. 

"He has come, the chosen one." 

Man. 

The two ushered him through more hallways and Barry couldn't believe how big this place was. An entire block must've been built under the surface of the city. 

At last, they reached a giant room that, had this been another time, could have been a ballroom. Now if only the walls weren't made of pale grey and the floor of dark crimson tiles.. 

A crowd was gathered in a large circle around something Barry couldn't quite see behind all the heads. It looked like a stone altar on a platform about a yard above the ground they were currently on. An ancient sounding chant was echoing through the room, like a mix of Gregorian and Mongolian style. 

Barry turned just in time to see a man wearing a black robe, to contrast with the others' white ones, shut the door and slide the key out of the lock before hiding it away in his pocket. 

The chanting became louder and louder until it was nearly overwhelming and drowning out all of Barry's thoughts. The person advanced through the crowd and it parted like the sea, letting him pass. 

All the masked faces turned to look at Barry. He couldn't see their eyes but he could feel them staring into his very soul. The black figure reached a small staircase and went up to stand beside the altar. 

"Join me, chosen one. Let your faithfuls guide the way." 

A male voice again. Different from the one before. 

The crowd started moving, walking behind Barry and closing in a human wall around him, keeping the way to the altar clear. 

Barry advanced slowly. He wasn't claustrophobic but the way the crowd closed behind him and pushed him forward without even touching him made his skin crawl with discomfort. 

He joined the man beside the stone and looked around them at the sea of homogeneous people, all still chanting and staring at them. 

"My brothers and sisters," the man exclaimed. The room went silent, every single person hanging onto the next word their leader would say. "our savior, our hero has joined us today to share his blessing with us. By the death of his beloved, he shall share his powers with his followers and we shall rise to the level of the God of Speed!" 

What! What kind of sick twisted cult was this! They planned on killing Len, thinking it would share Barry's powers with them? That wasn't how it worked. It wasn't some kind of.. magic trick. Removing or transferring powers took science, not a damn human sacrifice! Not that he had the intention of sharing his powers either way!

But Len was nowhere to be seen yet, so Barry stayed silent and let the crazy man continue his speech about how great it would be. 

"Let the ceremony begin." Turin spoke at last. 

Barry whirled around as he heard more doors open and what sounded like pained groans. His hand flew up to clasp over his mouth to hold back the gasp of horror at the sight. 

Len was unceremoniously dragged out of a hallway by two more figures, each one of them supporting him by holding his arms and shoulders. His regular clothes had been removed for some kind of knee length large skirt. Barry wondered what kind of terrible things they'd done or threatened him with to get him into such an exposing outfit. 

Dark purplish bruises were spread out over his stomach and torso and his throat seemed irritated. He seemed half conscious and was, barely able to keep his eyes open for more than a few seconds. 

"What.." Barry started, struggling to make out words trough the anxiety and anger he felt wash over him. "What did you do?" He forced his voice to stay calm and non-confrontational even though he felt like sending a bold of lightning straight to Turin's chest. Making such a big crowd angry would result in injuries and he was guessing most of the people here had been brainwashed.

It wasn't their fault. He knew how cults worked, they found the weakest and most influenceable people and turned them into mindless minions to follow their every commend. 

"Your beloved was opposed to your generosity and refused to accept his part in the ceremony. We are deeply sorry for the measure to which we had to resort in order to sooth him, a mild and harmless sedative that will keep him calm through the rituel." 

Barry was furious. Len was anything but calm. He knew his boyfriend's body language well enough to notice the terrified cracks in his tired expression. 

Barry counted back from three, calling the speedforce to every cell in his body. He reached zero and ran towards Len. 

Only to be stopped one step into the open crowd. Three figures jumped out from the sides and grabbed him before he could reach his boyfriend. 

What the hell? How was that possible? 

"I thought you may hesitate to show gratefulness to your followers. I apologize for the security we installed. But we could not risk your hesitation." 

Speed dampeners. Fuuuudge. 

Barry fought tooth and nail in the strong hold as he struggled to try and reach Len. He couldn't let them hurt him. Especially not for some stupid useless cause. 

Len was dragged past him, barely registering the presence of the speedster kicking and cursing a few yards away. He was laid out on the altar, chains quickly fastened around his wrists and ankles to stretch his arms down the sides towards the floor and his legs straight out. 

Turin stood over the drugged man and carefully pulled one of his eyelids up, revealing a chaotic and panicked glaze behind the drowsy expression. 

"He is ready for the ceremony. Let it begin." 

Barry trashed in the tight hold, violently kicking his feet out. "Let him go! He didn't do anything!" 

Turin ignored him and raised his arms to the crowd. The chanting started again, this time with deeper notes and more regular. The song felt like it was coming from the ceiling and every single person around Barry at the same time. 

"Len!" 

Barry's outcry was muffled by the deep melody. A smaller figure, probably a woman, walked up the stairs and offered something up to the cult's leader. 

The speedster's heart stopped as he realize what it was. A very, very big knife. 

Len's eyes probably dragged over it because his struggling kicked up again as he weakly pulled at his restraints, mumbling incoherent sounds. 

"Let him go!" Barry raged again. "It won't work! This whole ceremony won't work!" 

Again, he was ignored. The chanting only taking up more and more space until it all blended together in a deafening cacophony. The knife lowered, closer and closer to Len's throat it went. 

"I don't love him!" Barry screamed desperately. Turin looked up. The chanting stopped. The room fell into a cold, dead silence again. The speedster was panting, trying to catch his breath and calm down. 

"I don't love him." Barry repeated. "Your ritual won't work because this man is not my beloved." Some figures were looking at each other doubtfully but none dared speak up. "You worship me because I'm the Flash. But he's all about saving lives! If you kill this man you would be dishonoring my honor!" He continued dramatically. If extra was what they were into then he was going to give it to them. 

"That's impossible. We've been observing you. We've heard you say the words to him. Many times." 

"That's true. I've told him that I love him. But he's a criminal and a liar. The only way to too trick a liar is by being a better one. I hated deceiving him, but it was necessary to protect my city." 

Turin looked down on Len who was still squirming on the cold stone. The leader was tense, knife still tightly clutched in his hand. "If he is not your beloved, then who?" 

"My beloved is dead already. She died on the night my powers were given to me." 

Bla, bla, bla, drama, drama, just let Len go. Thank you. Goodbye. 

Turin seemed hesitant but eventually dropped the knife to the floor. "Then it is hopeless. The ceremony required the life of the chosen one's beloved. But if she is already dead.. the ritual can not be accomplished." 

"That's right. It's hopeless," Barry stated carefully. "so just let us go and we'll wait a few years for me to find a new beloved. How does that sound?" 

Turin nodded slowly and gestured to the people holding the speedster. They released him while another figure stepped up on the alter and unchained Len. 

Barry resisted the urge to run over and measurably walked to his boyfriend. Len's breathing was uneven and his eyes kept looking around blindly, as if he couldn't make out what was happening. 

"Can I get my powers back now?" Barry asked, facing Turin. 

The man's head nodded slowly once again and he raised his hand. Barry brought his own up to see and tried vibrating. It worked. Without a second of hesitation he scooped Len up in his arms and ran like hell was chasing after him. 

The others didn't have the time to blink before police officers were brought in by Barry. The speedster had grabbed Captain Singh into Flashtime and explained everything. 

Within an hour, almost every victim of Turin's insane experience were in the back of cars and being driven to the precinct and hospital. 

Len was safe at their apartment with Lisa watching over him until the drugs wore off. 

Barry stayed at the scene, watching the many men and women docilely follow the instructions they were given. He turned to his boss and asked the question he needed to know. 

"Did you find Master Turin? He was wearing a different colored robe." He made sure to vibrate his vocal cords to mask his identity. 

Singh shook his head. "My men searched this place from top to bottom but there's no trace of him." 

Flash sighed. "Make sure to find him before he starts another cult of helpless people." 

He stayed for a few more hours until the night fell, hoping the police would find the leader but it was hopeless. Turin had vanished into thin air. 

He returned home at around 9pm, exhausted and ready to cuddle up beside his boyfriend and watch some Netflix. Maybe thoroughly explore his body to make sure he wasn't too injured. If Len was up for it, obviously. 

"Lisa? Len? How's everyone doing?" He asked loudly as he entered his home. He was surprised the lights were out but it might've been because Len was still asleep. If so, he probably shouldn't have announced his presence as loudly. 

The lights didn't go on. Barry tried the switch a few times but the room remained dark. He frowned. 

Something was wrong. 

He wondered further into the apartment slowly. Nearly everything had been smashed. The table was broken and shards of glass and wood littered the floor. 

"Lisa? Len?" He repeated. He felt cold and numb. Shivers of anxiety were running down his neck. 

His feet bumped into something soft which moved under the impact. 

"Lisa! Oh my god!" He tried shacking her to wake her up but it was pointless. She was still alive and breathing regularly, only unconscious. Deeply apparently. "Lisa, come on.." he begged. 

"You lied." 

Barry froze, his breath caught in his throat. 

"You said he wasn't your beloved. You delayed the ceremony and destroyed your followers." 

The speedster stood slowly. The voice behind him was at the other end of the room. And he knew it. From only the short interaction they'd had. 

He turned around carefully and tried not to react at the sight of Len tightly held to Turin's side. 

His boyfriend was conscious and lucid this time, or so it seemed. His wrists and elbows were bound behind his back, pulling on his shoulders in what seemed to be a dangerously unnatural position. One wrong move and his arms may never forgive the rough dislocation that would follow. A thick gag was tied around his mouth, turning any yells and groans to silent, muffled and strained cries. 

"But I know the truth. I know, he," Turin jerked Len forward, making the captive wince, "is your only beloved." 

Only then did Barry notice the kitchen knife Turin was holding in his free hand. "Hey," the speedster whispered. "look at me. You don't have to do this. You say you worship me. If so, let Len walk away." 

"It is too late. Your beloved must perish!" 

Len's eyes widened and he let out a muffled "hmm!" behind the gag, his eyes darting between what he could see of Turin's face and Barry. 

"Let him go, Turin!" Barry ordered firmly. If reasoning didn't work, maybe authority would. "The chosen one commands you to!" 

"Your beloved has corrupted your power. The only way to cleanse it is by sharing it with your faithfuls. You will thank me when the time comes." 

The knife moved. 

So did Barry. 

As if in slow motion, the speedster watched in terrifying horror as the knife came down, closer and closer to Len's side. He ran, every single flicker of electricity pushing him forward as he fought to reach his boyfriend in time. 

He felt the same way he had while running to stop a car's broken glass window from hitting Iris. Closer and closer the knife went and Barry screamed, channeling all his fear into every step he took. 

Time seemed to freeze around him. The sharp blade stopped advancing. Len's eyes stilled. Turin's hand immobilized. 

And Barry ran faster then he'd ever run before.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are always great!


End file.
